Earthbound Expeditions believes that travel is more than a race to check off sites and monuments; that when done right – and responsibly - travel is perhaps the very best way to learn about different cultures and people without damaging their lands or the environment.

Through Earthbound’s proud partnership with Carbonfund.org, Earthbounders are actively reducing their carbon footprint and helping to ensure that the planet’s many wonders are preserved for future generations. The Carbonfund.org motto, “reduce what you can; offset what you can’t,” fits perfectly with Earthbound Expeditions’ long established philosophy of supporting locally-owned businesses, promoting education and embracing the concept of “slow” travel.

By using Carbonfund.org’s easy-to-use carbon calculator, Earthbound Expeditions is able to determine the size of your carbon footprint for any specific trip. Earthbound then sets aside a portion of the trip proceeds and purchases carbon credits that support renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects.

Over its five years as a Carbonfree® Business Partner, Earthbound Expeditions has neutralized over 7 million pounds of greenhouse gases, the same quantity of emissions as sequestered by planting 82,500 tree seedlings and growing them for ten years.

Earthbound is committed to supporting environmental education, community businesses and providing travelers with a one-of-a-kind, authentic travel experience while offsetting guests’ carbon footprint. Earthbounders stay in locally owned hotels, utilize the talents of locally trained lecturers, dine in small, family-owned establishments and support projects like the Alamar Organopónico Co-op farm in Cuba and the Greening Project in South Africa. In addition to regularly scheduled trips, Earthbound Expeditions also offers custom, hand-crafted overseas adventures for schools, universities, garden clubs, families and public radio stations.

Travel is often a life-changing experience. When you join Earthbound Expeditions, you can be confident that you are supporting local businesses, workers, schools and communities, while knowing that the carbon emissions generated by your travel are responsibly neutralized through the partnership between Earthbound Expeditions and Carbonfund.org.

Snuggled in a residential neighborhood in Lower Nob Hill near Union Square in San Francisco, Hotel Carlton offers its guests an eclectic atmosphere, international ambience, outstanding service and an eco-friendly attitude. As a certified green business, Hotel Carlton strives to incorporate sustainability into all core business operations.

The hotel’s makes every effort to conserve energy, water and natural resources through measures like installing low-flow water fixtures and energy efficient light bulbs throughout the hotel and using Energy Star rated appliances and office equipment. The hotel also has solar panels on the roof that provide 8-10% of the total electrical load for the building.

Beginning in 2007, Hotel Carlton took the additional step to offset its remaining annual operational carbon footprint with Carbonfund.org. Each year, Hotel Carlton calculates its annual electricity and heating fuel usage, its employee commuting and business travel emissions, then makes a donation to Carbonfund.org to neutralize those emissions by purchasing a corresponding quantity of carbon credits produced by one of our third-party verified and validated carbon offsetting projects. To date, Hotel Carlton has neutralized over 4 million pounds of carbon emissions, equivalent to the emissions produced by driving over 4.3 million miles in a typical passenger car.

Hotel Carlton also strives to increase waste diversion by using paper products with recycled content, and by recycling all paper, bottles, and cans and composting all food and landscape waste. The hotel purchases environmentally friendly products to minimize the use of toxic materials to protect employee and guest health as well as the environment.

Hotel Carlton was constructed on the tip of one of San Francisco’s few chunks of bedrock. The hotel was designed as one of the nation’s very first buildings specifically constructed to withstand earthquakes. This proved to be beneficial in 1989 immediately after the big 7.1 earthquake. Hotel Carlton ended up with just one broken window along with some very superficial plaster cracks.

Hotel Carlton’s décor is inspired by travels from around the world, in particular Nepal, India and Morocco. The lobby is reminiscent of a cozy living room with a roaring fireplace, beautiful Indian accent rugs, and comfortable sofas and armchairs. These elegant and cozy touches underscore the hotel’s commitment to superior guest experiences, and the environmental commitment ensures that the hotel remains a leader in the sustainable hospitality industry.

Carbonfund.org supports carbon offset projects that clearly benefit the environment and fight climate change. A recent study highlights how projects such as ours offer even more than combating global warming alone. They can provide additional benefits ranging from employment to health, which is important to countries' economies and limited budgets.

Often the question is posed as whether to cut emissions or use the funds to stimulate the economy. But we can have the best of both worlds with certified carbon-cutting projects; particularly projects in poor countries. And the numbers add up to billions in additional benefits.

The report found, "Robustly designed and audited greenhouse gas mitigation projects... deliver far more than carbon emission reductions, meaning it is no longer necessary to choose between climate and other environment and development outcomes."

The study analyzed more than 100 initiatives including building wind farms, planting trees, installing water filtration systems and distributing clean stoves to discourage people from burning wood or charcoal. Then the report identified areas beyond greenhouse gas cuts where there was a potential benefit from projects, such as local economies, employment, health and biodiversity.

The report gives a couple examples; the first shows how three water filtration systems throughout Africa and Asia deliver health benefits such as less air pollution, which is valued at more than $300 million annually. The second example illustrates how 54 Gold Standard-certified wind farms created jobs worth $12 million a year while contributing a total $100 million per year to countries' balance of payments.

Gold Standard Program projects generate carbon credits that can be bought by individuals, businesses and organizations to offset their own carbon footprints. Learn more about Carbonfund.org's carbon reduction projects at http://www.carbonfund.org/projects.

The Purus Project is one of only ten forest carbon initiatives in the world to achieve dual Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCBS) with Gold Distinction. This significant achievement means that the Purus Project successfully demonstrated a net positive impact on climate, community and biodiversity. Verification is the only way for projects to issue offsets onto an environmental registry.

"Achieving dual VCS-CCBS verification is a major milestone," says Eric Carlson, CEO CarbonCo, LLC. "The Purus Project is a wonderful example of how REDD+ projects protect forests while fighting climate change and improving human well-being in developing countries. It is also a haven for endangered species."

The Purus Project is the first private REDD+ project developed in Acre and is aligned with the State's System of Incentives for Environmental Services. Up to 34,702 hectares (85,714 acres) of privately-owned tropical rainforest within the Amazon Basin will be protected. This important project also preserves endangered species and a wide range of ecosystem services, provides direct benefits to local communities, and mitigates the release of nearly 900,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in its first 10 years.

CarbonCo, LLC provided financing and project development services for the Purus Project, while partnering with Carbon Securities and the local landowners' organization known as Moura e Rosa Empreendimentos Imobiliários LTDA.

"The carbon offset credits the Purus Project issues help our local communities while slowing global warming," said Normando Sales and Wanderley Rosa, Managing Directors of Moura & Rosa, "We are delighted to be part of a productive, efficient and cost-effective mechanism to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and mass deforestation."

The Purus Project mitigates deforestation through numerous locally-run activities including agricultural extension training, patrols of potential deforestation sites, through the planned building of better houses and by installing solar photovoltaic panels for local communities.

CarbonCo, LLC ("CarbonCo"), the wholly-owned subsidiary of Carbonfund.org Foundation, is a limited liability company based in Bethesda, Maryland, which develops large-scale, carbon reduction projects by working with landowners, communities and national and local stakeholders to ensure large tracts of tropical forests are protected from deforestation, attain international certification, and create value for all project proponents.

Moura e Rosa Empreendimentos Imobiliários LTDA ("Moura & Rosa") is the private landowners' organization founded by Normando Rodrigues Sales and Wanderley Cesário Rosa in February 2009 to align the twin goals of preserving tropical rainforests and benefiting local communities.

About Carbon Securities:

Freitas International Group, LLC does business as Carbon Securities and works with CarbonCo LLC to identify and develop high quality carbon reduction projects in the Amazon Basin. Main offices are located in Miami, Florida and associates in the Brazilian cities of Goiânia, Brasília, Rio Branco, Belém, and São Paulo.

The Purus Project is one of only ten forest carbon initiatives in the world to achieve dual Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCBS) with Gold Distinction. This significant achievement means that the Purus Project successfully demonstrated a net positive impact on climate, community and biodiversity. Verification is the only way for projects to issue offsets onto an environmental registry.

"Achieving dual VCS-CCBS verification is a major milestone," says Eric Carlson, CEO CarbonCo, LLC. "The Purus Project is a wonderful example of how REDD+ projects protect forests while fighting climate change and improving human well-being in developing countries. It is also a haven for endangered species."

The Purus Project is the first private REDD+ project developed in Acre and is aligned with the State’s System of Incentives for Environmental Services. Up to 34,702 hectares (85,714 acres) of privately-owned tropical rainforest within the Amazon Basin will be protected. This important project also preserves endangered species and a wide range of ecosystem services, provides direct benefits to local communities, and mitigates the release of nearly 900,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in its first 10 years.

CarbonCo, LLC provided financing and project development services for the Purus Project, while partnering with Carbon Securities and the local landowners' organization known as Moura e Rosa Empreendimentos Imobiliários LTDA.

"The carbon offset credits the Purus Project issues help our local communities while slowing global warming," said Normando Sales and Wanderley Rosa, Managing Directors of Moura & Rosa, "We are delighted to be part of a productive, efficient and cost-effective mechanism to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and mass deforestation."

The Purus Project mitigates deforestation through numerous locally-run activities including agricultural extension training, patrols of potential deforestation sites, through the planned building of better houses and by installing solar photovoltaic panels for local communities.

CarbonCo, LLC ("CarbonCo"), the wholly-owned subsidiary of Carbonfund.org Foundation, is a limited liability company based in Bethesda, Maryland, which develops large-scale, carbon reduction projects by working with landowners, communities and national and local stakeholders to ensure large tracts of tropical forests are protected from deforestation, attain international certification, and create value for all project proponents.

Moura e Rosa Empreendimentos Imobiliários LTDA ("Moura & Rosa") is the private landowners’ organization founded by Normando Rodrigues Sales and Wanderley Cesário Rosa in February 2009 to align the twin goals of preserving tropical rainforests and benefiting local communities.

About Carbon Securities:

Freitas International Group, LLC does business as Carbon Securities and works with CarbonCo LLC to identify and develop high quality carbon reduction projects in the Amazon Basin. Main offices are located in Miami, Florida and associates in the Brazilian cities of Goiânia, Brasília, Rio Branco, Belém, and São Paulo.

ANN ARBOR, Mich., USA and TROIS-RIVIÈRES, Quebec, Canada (February 25, 2013) – Bio-Lub Canada Inc., developer of antifriction treatments and solutions for the ecological and biodegradable degreasing industry, has earned the first CarbonFree® certification in the industry for its bio-hydraulic fluid from Carbonfund.org and NSF Sustainability, a division of global independent public health organization NSF International. As a result, industries that utilize hydraulic processes (automobile, construction machinery, excavation, farming, forestry and others) now have access to an environmentally-friendly, carbon-neutral ISO 46 hydraulic fluid.

Hydraulic systems play an important role in our daily lives. Elevators, forklifts, commercial lawnmowers, garbage trucks, farming equipment, aircraft flight control systems and construction equipment such as loaders or bulldozers all use as much as 100 liters (26.4 gallons) of hydraulic fluid. Some loss to the environment is inevitable. With Bio-Lub biobased hydraulic fluid there will be little, if any, environmental impact. By earning CarbonFree® certification for its BLC 710 bio-hydraulic fluid (in 20-, 205- and 1000-liter packaging), Bio-Lub is helping environmentally conscious organizations reduce their carbon footprint and impact on the environment. The bio-hydraulic fluids are made from vegetable oils derived from a renewable source and are also USDA certified as 96 percent biobased under the BioPreferred® program.

To address its products’ environmental impacts, Bio-Lub Canada underwent a detailed life cycle assessment to measure the carbon emissions produced from its bio-hydraulic fluid products sold worldwide. To achieve carbon neutrality for the products, Bio-Lub offset the per-unit carbon footprint through investment in third-party validated renewable energy, energy efficiency and forestry carbon offset projects. These carbon offset projects are supported through the Carbonfund.org Foundation, a leading nonprofit and developer of the CarbonFree® Product Certification program, the first carbon neutral product label in North America.

“Using environmentally friendly ISO 46 bio-hydraulic fluids such as Bio-Lub’s is particularly important for sensitive environmental applications such as farming and marine dredging. By earning CarbonFree® certification, Bio-Lub is taking its commitment to the environment a step further through offsetting the greenhouse gasses made when producing and distributing the products,” said Tom Bruursema, NSF Sustainability General Manager.

“We at Bio-Lub are excited that our BLC-700 series is the first eco-friendly hydraulic fluid in our industry to be certified worldwide as CarbonFree® by NSF International and Carbonfund.org,” said Michel Cordeau, CEO of Bio-Lub Canada Inc. “Bio-Lub products are designed for superior performance and low environmental impact and Carbonfree® certification is just one more way to validate our commitment to environmentally preferred products.”

How the CarbonFree® Product Certification Program WorksThe CarbonFree® Product Certification program uses life cycle assessments (LCAs) to determine the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over a product’s entire life cycle. GHG emissions (expressed as carbon dioxide equivalents) that cannot be reduced or eliminated from the product’s life cycle are offset or ‘neutralized’ with third-party validated renewable energy, energy efficiency and forestry carbon offset projects.

A carbon offset is a verifiable reduction in carbon emissions somewhere in the world other than where the emission is generated. These external reductions offer clean energy transformation (e.g. wind, solar), sequestration (e.g. forestry) and clean technology (e.g. energy efficiency). The projects also offer a range of benefits including conservation, clean water, job creation and innovation. Credits are generated when a project is verified and registered – allowing companies to purchase these credits and offset the emissions produced in the manufacturing and use of their products. These credits are then permanently ‘retired’ on behalf of the product/company.

CarbonFree® certified products earn the use of the CarbonFree® mark along with being listed in the Carbonfund.org online product certification database. The CarbonFree® mark can be found on a variety of products today, including foods, beverages, electronics and apparel.

AboutCarbonfund.org Foundation: Carbonfund.org is a leading nonprofit climate solutions organization, making it easy and affordable for individuals, businesses and organizations to reduce their climate impact and hasten our transition to a low-carbon economy. Carbonfund.org supports innovative renewable energy, energy efficiency and forestry projects globally that reduce carbon emissions and help people. Carbonfund.org has worked with over 2,000 corporate and nonprofit partners. More at www.carbonfund.org.

About NSF International: NSF International is a global independent organization that writes standards, and tests and certifies products for the construction, food, water and consumer goods industries to minimize adverse health effects and protect the environment (nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting human health and safety worldwide.

NSF Sustainability draws upon this expertise in standards development, product assurance and certification, advisory services and quality management systems to help companies green their products, operations, systems and supply chains. Product assessments include testing and certification for more sustainable consumer and commercial products. NSF is also an approved testing laboratory (under ASTM D6866) for conducting biobased testing. Through its National Center for Sustainability Standards, NSF also develops sustainability standards for products such as carpet, flooring and other commercial building materials.

Clean Air Cab is central Arizona’s first carbon-neutral taxicab fleet; they partner with Carbonfund.org to calculate and neutralize the carbon emissions generated by its fleet of Toyota Priuses.

"We chose Carbonfund.org because unlike most companies selling offsets, Carbonfund.org is a non-profit. Clean Air Cab believes in giving back and we are happy to support a non-profit organization," affirms Clean Air Cab founder, Steve Lopez.

The company started by selecting the Toyota Prius, a fuel efficient vehicle for its taxicab fleet. A Ford Crown Victoria, the “traditional” taxicab vehicle, produces two and half times the amount of CO2 per year compared to the 2010 Toyota Prius. But the Prius still creates carbon emissions, so each quarter Clean Air Cab checks its total fleet mileage with Carbonfund.org to ensure that it has secured a sufficient quantity of carbon credits to completely neutralize fleet emissions.

Clean Air Cab’s mission “to make it affordable and convenient for everyone to go green” is in lockstep with Carbonfund.org. We are happy to partner with an environmentally conscientious company that provides a carbon neutral transportation alternative to central Arizona communities.

LEI Electronics and EcoAlkalines™ are ecstatic to be able to announce that EcoAlkalines™ Batteries, the World’s first Landfill safe, Certified Carbon Neutral Alkaline Batteries have been certified meet LEED standards.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)® Green Building Program is a voluntary, consensus-based global rating system for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance. LEED was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) with the intent on providing building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations, and maintenance solutions. LEED is based on a credit system and points are allocated based on the potential environmental impacts and human benefits of each credit. Under the current LEED credit system, EcoAlkalines™ batteries can help earn one prerequisite and one point under the LEED category of Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (EBOM) rating system.

Eco Alkalines™ have been reviewed by a LEED AP third party – Above Green, LLC. Above Green has provided us with a LEED certified technical statement which explains exactly which prerequisites and points Eco Alkalines™ batteries can be used to count towards.

As per Above Green, LLC:

“ EcoAlkalines are the world's first certified carbon neutral batteries. Manufactured with 0% Mercury, 0% Lead, 0% Cadmium – EcoAlkalines™ set the standard for responsible disposable alkaline batteries. Because of these qualities, EcoAlkalines are considered an environmentally preferable product. If you own and operate a LEED Certified building, include EcoAlkalines™ as part of your purchasing policy, and earn points toward certification and recertification of your facility.”